Professional cabinet



Feb. 20, 1945. a. E. FROELICH PROFESSIONAL CABINET Filed July 25, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Feb. 20,1945

; time I STATE IPROFESSIONALOABINET George E. Froelich, Two Rivers, Wis., assignor to Hamilton Manufacturing Company, Two Rivers, Wis., a. corporation of Wisconsin Application July 25, 1942, Serial No. 452,304 4 Claims. (01. 312-151) This invention relates to professional cabinets more particularly for dental use and of the class providing a top working surfaceand a bottle rack portion at the rear of the working surface.

' .It is desirable to have thebottle rack portion normally enclosed toguard against dust and breakage and yet when the bottles are disclosed to have them substantially in the plane of the working surface'so that the hands of the operator may move from the working surface to the bottle compartment and vice versa, substantially in a horizontal plane and without making it necessary for the operator toreach either up or down "for th'ebottles. l l

.The present invention is animprovement on my Patent No. 2,242,720, issued May 20, 1941, for Professionalcabinet] in which I broadly disclosedan inverted box-like cover for the rack portion having. a rear wall, a plungerfixed tothe rear wall of the cover and extending below the working. surface, guide. means for the plunger, and a counterbalancing device for the cover and plunger'within thecabinet below the working surface whereby the cover may be readily elevated above the bottle rack portion supported solelyby the plunger. In said patent, however, the cover for the rack portion of the cabinet was shown projecting materially above the working surface of the cabinet both in its lowered and elevated positions,,'thus constituting an obstruction to ready use ofthe cabinet from the rear thereof. Since it is advantageous to embody. aconstruction of this class in a cabinet which is mobile, as by having wheels thereon, to enable it to be placed say in thecenter of the floor of the dental operating room convenientlyadjacent both to the. patients chair and the dentists working position, it is desirable that when the bottle rack is not. in use, for example, the entire. cabinet top including both the :working surface and the bottle rack portion :be substantially flush, and that the cover of the bottle rack portion be elevated materially above the working surface only when the cover :is in its raised position to disclose the bottles; ,4 .The present invention aims to provide arconstruction in which the bottle rack constitutes subtantially a horizontal continuation of the working surface whenthecover is elevated while permitting the cover to be substantially flusl1' With the working surface when it is closed, and tqthis end it is contemplated by the present invention that the bottle rack be carried by the cover itself and be reciprocable with the cover. i

Among other objects the present invention aims to provide an improved device of this class in which the operating parts occupy a minimum of space while ensuring enhanced smoothness and precision of operation.

The foregoing and other objects and advan tages will be apparent from the following description, taken together with the accomyanying drawings, in which-.- a I Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of a cabinet embodying the present invention, showing, in broken lines, the cover and bottle rack in elevated position and in fulllines these parts in closed or normal position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged partial longitudinal sectional view of the cover and bottle rack and the operating mechanism therefor, and being a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig, l and12-2 of Fig. 3;

' Figure3 is a cross-section taken on the staggered line 3-4 of Fig'. 2; and Figure 4 is a detail viewand being a fragmentary section taken on the staggered line 44 of Fig. 3, partially in elevation. I

Referring specifically to the illustrative construction shown in thedrawingathe cabinet ID, the top portion only of" which need be here shown, has an upper horizontal working surface H, side walls l2 and I3, and rear wall 14. At the front of the cabinet the usual drawers l5 may be accessible. The working surface I l' is advantageously of suitable sanitary stainproof material .and has a slightly raised rim IE to prevent 'articles' from rolling off thereof. The working surface l in preferably disposed, by reason of the height of the caginet, conveniently for use when the operator is in standing position. I

. Just to the rear of the working surface II is the bottle rack portion I! of the cabinet, with whichthis disclosure is chiefly concerned, and in accordance with the present invention, in the interior of the cabinet, between the 'main part thereof in which the drawers [5 are located and thebottle rack portion, may be located an interior wall I 8 parallel with the rear wall I4 and ex tending downwardly to a horizontal partition I9. Vertically reciprocal in the bottle rack portion I 1 I have shown a bottle rack 20 carried by a cover 2| which has a rear wall 22. referred to may be suitably constructed of Wood or other non-metallic material in order to save metaL,

The cover 2| and bottle rack 20 are here shown carried by a single plunger or support'23 which may be in the form of a metallic channel member having a web 24 and side flanges 25. At its upper end the channel member 23may be bent. over as at 26 to underlie the bottle'rack 20' to which it may be secured as by screws 21 for com-' mon reciprocalmovement of the plunger, bottle' shown disposed centrally of the length of the' cover. 2! which preferably terminates shortof the sides l2 and 13 of the cabinet so that the cover These parts just shown in Fig. 2, and may rest on the platform 30 through the intermediation of pads 3| when the cover and rack are in lowered position. The' platform 30 may be apertured as at 32 to pass the plunger 23 snugly but slidingly therethrough, and this platform also serves somewhat as guide means for the plunger and may thus define the lower limit of the cabinet bottle rack portion ll.

l of the catch-piece.

springs 44 and 48, these springs being at this time stretched as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2 and thus ready to elevate the bottle rack 2|! and cover 2| to the position shown in full lines. in Fig. 2 and in the dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3, when the catch 54 is released.

To release the catch I have provided a depressible rod 62 which is carried by the tail 53 of the catch-piece 54 as by having a reduced lower end 63 which passes through a perforation in this part A light coil spring 64 is desirably interposed on the rduced end 53 of the rod For counterbalancing the cover and rack, the

interior wall l8 has fixed thereto, as by screws 33, a pivot bracket 34 to the Web 35 of which is pivoted as at 36, intermediate its length, the counterbalancing lever 31, one endof which is articulated as at 38 with a link 33 articulated at 40 with the. P11 361 24. The other end of the'counterbalancing lever 31 has a flat foot 4| which in one position is adapted to abut the padded block 42 which is secured as by a screw 43 to the upper surface of the horizontal partition l9. An expansion coil spring 44 is hooked at one end, as at 45, to the counterbalancing lever 31- adjacent the articulation 38, and, at its other end, as at 46, to an eye-screw 41 which may be fixed on the interior wall I8. Another expansion coil spring 48 is here shown hooked at one end, as at 49, to the counterbalancing lever 31 adjacent this foot 4|, and, at its other end, as at 50, to an eye-screw 5| fixed to the horizontal partition l9. Springs 44 and 48 are arranged so that they are under tension when the counterbalancing lever 31 is rotated on its pivot 36 to depress the plunger 24, so that the natural resilience of these springs tends to elevate, the plunger and with it the bottle rack 20 and cover 2 I, limited by the engagement of the lever foot 4| with the stop block 42, the springs 44 and 48 thus constituting with the lever 31 actuating'means disposed in a, plane extending in the direction or the greatest dimension of the rack.

To releasably retain the plunger, and with it the. rack and cover, in depressed position, the plunger is shown having a locking surface or lu 52 adjacent its lower end, struck-out from its web 24, and engageable by the locking lip 53 of a rockable catch-piece 54. The catch-piece 54 is here shown mounted on the web 55 of a bracket 56 secured as by screws 51 to the interior wall I8, this wall being conveniently cut away as at 58 to permit the catch-piece 54 to play. in this opening with its tail 59 extending therethrough. The opening 58 also afiords access to the mech anism as a whole, for oiling or adjustment purposes. The plunger is fixed to the cover 2| through the intermediation of the rear Wall 22, and this rear wall, which together with the cover and bottle rack forms a somewhat box-like formation about the bottles, also serves to protect the bottles when the bottle, rack is elevated.

'Io mount the catch-piece 54 rockabl'y on the. bracket. 56 the bracket may have a stud 60 riveted thereto and which passes loosely througha perforation in the catch-piece, a compression coil spring 6| being inserted'between the head of the stud 60 and the catch-'pi'ece to urge the catchpiece and bracket together into a position shown in Fig. 3, in which the locking lip 53 of the catch- .piece overhangingly engages the lug 52 of the plunger support 23 and thus holds the bottle rack and cover in depressed position as shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 3 against the force of the 62 between the tail 59 and a washer 65, to prevent chattering of the rod. At its upper end, the rod 82 emerges slightly above the working surface ll just in front of the bottle rack portion I I in a button-like extremity 66. When the button 66 is depressed by the finger of the operator the catch-piece 54 is thus rocked to the left (Fig.

3) on the stud 60 and the locking lip 53 of the catch-piece is released from the lug 52 to permit the springs 44 and 48 to'rotate the counterbalancing lever 31 to elevate the bottle rack and cover as already described. The catch-piece 54 is guided in its rocking movement by the channel 6'! of the bracket 56 and by notch 68 in the opening 58 of the interior wall I8.

To prevent jarring of the bottles (such as the bottle 69) on the bottle rack 20 when the latter is elevated as described, I provide shock absorbing means such as the air check mechanism 10, which may comprise a cylinder H mounted on a nipple bracket 12 secured as by screws 13 on the horizontal partition l9. At its upper end the cylinder may have a closure gland 15 in which reciprocates the piston rod 15 of the piston 11, the piston rod being dependently secured to bettle rack 20 as by screw 18 which passes through the bent-over part 36 of the plunger 23 to be threadedly received in the piston rod. A recess 19 in the 'unde'rface of the bottle rack accommodates the head of the screw 18-.

As the plunger is elevated, in themanner already described, the piston 11 moves upwardly simultaneously and compresses the air in the upper part of the cylinder thus preventing too rapid upward movement under the influence of the springs 44 and 4 8. The cylinder 1| may have a small bleed port adjacent itsupper end so as to permit the compressed air to be expelled retardedly therethrough and thus permit the bot tle rack to' be elevated to its uppermost position as determined by the stop members 4| .and 42 in conjunction with the counterbalancing lever 31. The port 80 may also be used for oiling purposes. The slot I00 in the plunger 23 permits access through the opening 58 to the port 80.

Any suitable piston arrangement may be employed, one. operable form of which is shown in Fig. 4 in which the piston rod 16 is reduced at its lower end to have this end passed through a pair of washers 8| and 82 which clamp between them,-by means of the nut 84, a cup 11 of-leather or like material which re'ciprocates in the cylinder H. The rodend 85 is shown threaded'to receive the nut 84. The lower end of the cylinder II is closed e xcept for an'air adjustment-vent 86 which is threaded to receive and is partially closed by an" adjustment screw 8'l'having a' tapered longitudi nal groove 88 therein. During the upward stroke of the piston, thecup 11 makes a substantially sealing-contact with the inner walls of the cylinder 1|, andthe air adjustmentscrew- 81 may be suitably adjusted to prevent undue'suctionbelow the piston.

until the plunger lug 52 engages under the lip 53 of the catch, the lip 53 having a flared cam surface 9| which permits the lug 52 to momentarily rock the catch 54 on its stud 60 to permit as is well understood in the use of such the lug 52 to pass therebelow. Thereafter the spring 6| returns the catch to holding position in which the lip 53 takes over the lug 52 and holds the plunger 23 and with it the depressible cabinet part and "2| in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 until the button 66 is again manually pressed.

The bottles such as 69, in the elevated position of the'cover, are readily accessible to the operator through theopen side 92 of the cover, the bottle rack 20 being then substantially in the plane of the working surface I l.

'As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the plunger 24. may be further guided in its reciprocating movement by a collar 89 of wood or the like secured to the foot of the plunger as by screws 90 and encircling the exterior of the cylinder H for upward and downward sliding movement thereon.

Such changes may be made as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a cabinet of the class described having a working surface and an elevatableand depressible bottle rack at the rear of said working surface, that improvement therein comprising a central plunger supporting the bottle rack and depending within the cabinet, a partially closed cylinder fixed in the cabinet vertically aligned with the plunger, the plunger being of channel formation and having vertical side walls between which the cylinder is located, a collar at the lower end of the plunger through which the cylinder passes, the collar being slidingly movable on the cylinder for guiding the plunger in its vertical movement, a piston depending from the bottle rack received within the cylinder and having a piston head thereon resistingly movablein the cylinder to provide with the cylinder a fluid shock absorber device, spring means for elevating the plunger and bottle rack against the retarding action of the shock absorber device, a locking element adjacent the lower end of the plunger, a

resiliently rockable catch-piece carried within thecabinet and having a locking lip engageable by the said locking element to releasably hold the plunger and bottle rack in depressed position against the action of said spring means, and a member having its upper end adjacent said working surface and its lower end in position to rock the catch-piece to releasing position upon movement of said member.

2. In a cabinet of the class described having a. working surface and an elevatable and depressible bottle rack at the rear of said working surface, that improvement therein comprising a central plunger supporting the bottle rack and depending within the cabinet, a partially closed cylinder fixed in the cabinet vertically aligned with the plunger, a collar at the lower end of the plunger through which the cylinder passes,

the collar being slidingly movable on the cylinder for guiding the plunger in its vertical movement, a piston depending from the bottlera'ck received within the cylinder and having a piston head thereon resistingly movable in the cylinder to provide with the cylinder a shock absorber device, resilient means for elevating the plunger and bottle rack against the retarding action of the shock absorber device, a locking element adjacent the lower end of the plunger, a resilient catch-piece of the floating type carried within the cabinet and having a locking lip engageable by the said locking element to releasably hold the plungerand bottle rack in depressed position against the action of said resilient means, a tail on the catch-piece, a member carried by the cabinet in position to engage said tail to move the catch-piece to releasing position upon movement of said member, and a spring carried by said member engaging the said tail.

3.'In a cabinet of the class described having a working surface and an elevatable and depressible rack adjacent'said working surface, that improvement therein comprising a central plunger supporting the rack and depending within'the cabinet, a partially closed cylinder fixed within' the cabinet, a piston depending from the rack received within the cylinder and having a piston head thereon resistingly movable inthe cylinder to provide with the cylinder a shock absorber de- Vice, guiding means carried by the cabinet at least in part through the intermediation of the plunger for guiding the plunger and piston in their vertical movement, actuating means including a tension coil spring and a lever disposed in a plane extending in the direction of the greatest dimension of said rack for elevating the plunger and rack against the retarding action of the shock absorber device, locking elements within the cabinet to releasably hold the plunger and rack in depressed position against the action of said actuating means, and a member carried by the cabinet for releasing said locking elements.

4. In a cabinet of the class described having a working surface and an elevatable and depressible bottle rack adiacentsaid working surface, that improvement therein comprising a single central plunger supporting the bottle rack and depending within the cabinet, a partially closed cylinder fixed Within the cabinet, a piston depending from the bottle rack received within the cylinderand having a piston head thereon resistingly movable in the cylinder to provide with the cylinder a shock absorber device, guiding means carried by the cabinet at least in part through the intermediation of the plunger for guiding the plunger and piston in their vertical movement, actuating means for elevating the plunger and bottle rack' against the retarding action of the shock absorber device, locking eleplunger and bottle rack indepressed position against the action said locking elements.

GEORGE E. FROELICI-I.

of said actuating means, and a member carried by the cabinet for releasing 

